


"I've waited so long for this."

by IcannotbelieveIamhere



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Canon, F/M, Fictober 2018, Tumblr Prompt, fictober18, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-08-07 17:45:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16413008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcannotbelieveIamhere/pseuds/IcannotbelieveIamhere
Summary: Oliver Queen doesn't know what to do. His team are very close to stopping The Undertaking. Should he rekindle his old relationship with Laurel or give Tommy and Laurel a chance to get back together.





	"I've waited so long for this."

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written for Fictober 2018 for the prompt "I've waited so long for this."
> 
> This short fic will eventually be changed slightly and be part of a longer story in my "What would we do without Walter" series. For now it can be seen as a stand alone story which could have been set in the time frame of Episode 1.22, "Darkness on the edge of Town" which is set one week after Episode 1.21, "The Undertaking". In my "Walter" series, things happen much quicker, so this scene will eventually happen a few days after Walter is rescued, rather than over a week after the rescue.
> 
> For perspective, in this story, Oliver is standing in the same position on the street where we see Tommy in Episode 1.22.

Oliver Queen stood on the footpath and looked up. What on earth was he doing here? He stared at the windows of Laurel's apartment. The building was large but he knew exactly which part of it was Laurel's home. He'd accessed the building in many different ways, both in his vigilante gear and his regular clothes. He had many memories wrapt up in that building. Some good, some not so good.

He stared down at the photo of Laurel in his hands. It was the photo she'd given him just before he left on the Gambit. He'd lost track of the number of times he'd stared at her photo since then. It had survived the entire time he'd been away, plus almost a whole year he'd been back with his family. Or had he been back with his family? Sometimes he wasn't really sure about that at all.

Oliver had barely connected with his family and friends since he came back. He'd been so busy trying to carry out his father's mission, he'd forced himself to keep his distance from everyone. He'd even kept his own team distant at times. Now, he had to decide who to let back into his life. His team were very close to uncovering exactly what the Undertaking really was and they had a good chance of stopping it. Once it was all over, he could have a life again. Make his own choices and not be dominated by the mission.

Oliver had to make a choice. He and Laurel had started to communicate in recent times in a way they had never connected before. There seemed to be clarity between them, yet he was still confused.

He glanced at the window again and then back down to the photo. Was Laurel the same person now, as she was in the photo, taken so many years ago? He'd stared at her photo in times of desperation, wishing one day he could come home to her. Her image had given him hope and helped him survive through the hellish times. 

Oliver didn't know what to do. He'd encouraged Laurel to get back together with Tommy. He wanted his friends to be happy together. Tommy deserved Laurel more than he did. Yet, part of his heart belonged to Laurel. He wanted to know if they could be together. He knew he was attracted to her, but he couldn't figure out whether it was the current Laurel he was attracted to, or the image and spirit of the Laurel who had kept him alive for 5 years.

Was he in love with this Laurel, or in love with the idea of being in love with Laurel?

Was there someone else he was supposed to be with, or was he supposed to be on his own for the rest of his life to atone for his sins?

Oliver thought back to his recent mission investigating Merlyn Global. Felicity's words as they stood in the elevator shaft played over and over in his mind. Why had she even thought about him putting his arm around her? She had a way with words sometimes. She was fascinating and sometimes he couldn't figure out why he kept thinking of her. She was confusing, yet endearing at the same time. He'd worked out shirtless in front of her many times. She'd tried not to react to his physical appearance but he could tell it had affected her. He'd seen her body react involuntarily even if her mind denied how she was feeling. He'd been trained to read complex body language signals in his time away. He could see all the signs. Was it only just physical? It was his duty to keep her safe while on missions. He laughed to himself as he remembered her mutterings about him being inside her, when she wore an earpiece in the underground casino. She was prepared to do anything that night to rescue Walter Steele. What did all of this mean?

Oliver looked at Laurel's photo again. What on earth was he doing here? He still didn't know.

“Hey, Bud. What's happening?”

Oliver looked up, startled. Tommy Merlyn was standing next to him with a bemused look on his face. Oliver hadn't heard him approach and fear overcame him. He was supposed to be alert at all times. How could he have been so absorbed with his thoughts, that he didn't notice Tommy approaching? If he'd done that during his time away, he would be dead.

“What's Oliver Queen brooding about now?” Tommy speculated.

Oliver showed Tommy the photo of Laurel.

“Ahhhh. The gorgeous Laurel.” Tommy smiled.

“Laurel gave this to me just before I got on the Gambit,” Oliver said.

“And it survived?” Tommy's eyes opened wide.

“Just like me. I used to stare at it for hours, hoping I could get back home one day.”

“Wow. I guess that explains why you wanted to see her after you came home.”

“Yes. I've waited so long for this. But now I'm confused. I don't know how I feel about her.”

Tommy looked at Oliver sternly. “She thinks you're still in love with her,” he said softly.

Oliver was silent for a moment.

“I think I'm in love with the idea of being in love with her. The photo and the memories of her kept me alive, but I don't think I'm in love with her any more.”

Oliver and Tommy looked up at Laurel's window.

“If you're not going up there, I am.” Tommy stated.

“Go. Be with Laurel. The two of you are good together.”

“Thanks Bud”

Tommy smiled.

Oliver watched Tommy approach the apartment building. It was the right decision. He would always love Laurel as a friend, and be there to support her, but he wanted her and Tommy to be happy together. Maybe there was someone else out there for him, but not now. He couldn't lose focus on the mission, especially at the moment. His lapse when Tommy approached him was enough to make him realise that.....but why was Felicity's voice floating through his mind again..........It feels really good having you inside me..........

**Author's Note:**

> I'm working on the "Walter" story which deals with the aftermath of Walter's rescue and Felicity's dilemma. While writing, I started thinking about other stories I was planning to write in the series, and the plot bunnies got to me. I kept imagining Oliver standing on the street, looking up at Laurel's window. The image was so compelling I just had to create Oliver's train of thought. I'd been amazed at all the wonderful Fictober writers who had posted a new story each day, thinking I'd never be able to do that. Somehow, all of this came together in 24 hours. Sometimes even I don't know what I'm capable of.
> 
> Let me know what you think of my mad creation.
> 
> If all things go to plan, "Impressive Truly" will be posted by early November.


End file.
